STACK NZ May Issue #62

DVD & BD

REVIEWS

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The stakes are high. THE GAMBLER

Night of the Comet COHERENCE

Release Date: 27/05/15

Release Date: 13/05/15

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It's good to see Mark Wahlberg in a dramatic role where he isn't playing a cop. In this slick remake of the 1974 film that starred James Caan, Wahlberg plays a self-destructive English literature professor with a gambling problem and a mountain of debt to unsavoury characters. Despite losing plenty on the blackjack tables, Wahlberg's compulsive gambler remains indifferent to his financial plight, so it's difficult to feel any sympathy for his cynical character. But there's plenty to enjoy in the terrific performances from Jessica Lange, as his

Writer-director James Ward Byrkit's minimalist – but ultra high concept – sci-fi thriller unfolds during an LA dinner party, while a comet is passing through Earth's atmosphere. The eight guests begin to suspect something strange is afoot when mobile coverage drops out, phone screens crack, and the power goes out. Things get even weirder following their retrieval of a box from a neighbouring house, which contains numbered photos of themselves – one of which was taken on that very night. We're not going to spoil

frosty cashed-up mother, and a bald and fearsome John Goodman as a loan shark, whose repayment terms make payday lenders seem reasonable. Screenwriter William Monahan ( The Departed ) has a flair for colourful dialogue and tough guy ranting, which also pays dividends.

what's going on, but all is revealed relatively early in the piece, allowing the viewer to fully appreciate the second half's myriad twists and turns. Simple, scary, and ingeniously constructed, Coherence stays true to its title, despite its serpentine structure.

SONG ONE

Open Windows

I Survived A Zombie Holocaust

HOME SWEET HELL

Release Date: 06/05/15 Format:

Release Date: 13/05/15 Format:

Release Date: 22/05/15 Format:

Release Date: 20/05/15 Format:

The romance factor in Song One is cranked up to 11, so if you're in the mood for trembling lips and long glistening gazes, this is straight up your alley. We follow anthropology student Franny (Anne Hathaway), who makes it her mission to convince famous musician James Forester (Johnny Flynn) to play at her comatose brother’s bedside, in the hope he will be revived. Hathaway is so sensitive, it seems like she'd bruise if you breathed on her, but her genuine chemistry with Flynn and excellent delivery overcomes any cloying dialogue. Also, we should all watch everything that involves Mary Steenburgen, because she’s brilliant.

Spanish horror filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo ( V/H/S: Viral ) has come up with a novel spin on the doco- style horror genre for this bonkers chiller: the action unfolds almost entirely across various ‘windows’ on a computer screen. It makes for a cool stylistic device, although it means plot logic makes an early departure. Elijah Woods plays Nick, the web editor of a fansite devoted to actress Jill Goddard (ex-porn star Sacha Grey). After being snubbed for an exclusive meet-and-greet, Nick is contacted by a mysterious man who offers him acess to a juicy private live stream of the star. However, Nick soon realises that his unseen benefactor has some nasty plans for the spoilt starlet…

New Zealand's winning run of horror comedies ( Housebound , What We Do In The Shadows ) continues with this cheerfully gory gag fest. Harley Neville plays the hapless hero, a wannabe film- maker who has taken on a job as a runner on a low budget zombie movie. However, unbeknownst to the film crew, the nearby town has fallen prey to the undead and it’s not long before the film set is over- run by zombies. Writer-director Guy Pigden gleefully lays on lashings of blood-drenched slapstick, while affectionately poking fun at both zombie clichés and the whole process of making low budget movies. The best homegrown zombie flick since Braindead .

Rom-com regular Katherine Heigl is actually eerily convincing as a homicidal homemaker in this black comedy, which may have something to do with the actress's rumoured offscreen persona. When the rigid Mona (Heigl) discovers her spineless husband Don (Patrick Wilson) has impregnated a young and attractive colleague, she calmly shoves her beloved along a path of ever more devious and twisted methods to remove the woman from their carefully planned lives. Heigl is ferocious and Wilson quite delightful, but there aren't any curveballs here. And Home Sweet Hell is no Serial Mom, even though it wants to be.

MAY 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

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